The Lady in Disguise
by mnbvcxz-xx
Summary: King Edmund The Just is captivated by the mysterious lady he saw in the forest. A brave and kind hearted woman that had once saved his life. But she seems to always disappear out of thin air. As the saying goes, you can't find someone who doesn't want to be found. But what if he's been looking all in the wrong places. After all, he might not need to look too far to find her. Ed/OC
1. Chapter 1

**"The marks humans leave are too often scars." **  
**― John Green**

* * *

The sun was about to set as The Just King rode his horse with his two guards through the forest. They were on a very important mission to visit the Kingdom of Archenland. Inside his pocket was a letter that might be the thing that would change the future of his life, for better or for worse. As The High King and The Just King of Narnia were now of age, they were about to share an open invitation to few noble ladies from neighboring Kingdoms to live in Cair Pavarel, in the hope of strengthening the kingdoms relationship in a reunion one day. They trusted King Lune of Archenland would be a wise judge of character for he would be choosing which noble households would get the opportunity to represent his kingdom.

Edmund did not have much say in this invitation as Aslan himself was the one who gave the order about this arrangement. Edmund never thought much about marrying yet. Although he understood that as a King he has a whole kingdom to think about and marrying for advantage would be inevitable one day. Edmund let his thoughts wandered until suddenly his horse jumped startled, almost knocking him down.

Shots of arrows flew across from the trees upfront. Edmund skillfully ducked in time, letting the arrow only grazed his arm. He pulled his sword up and eyed his surroundings warily, as both his guards did the same. Six men jumped in front of them with loud thuds, and Edmund could not help but smirked as his day just got more interesting.

…

Edmund knew that they were outnumbered, but being the skilled warrior that he was, he put up a good fight. These men were barbaric and brutal, clear signs that they had been living in the wild. They fight like they had nothing to lose, most likely that they were a bandit group, living and hiding deep in this forest. It was something that The Just King needed to discuss with King Lune if he were to make it out alive.

The constant shot of arrows from the trees up front was certainly not helping his chance to win. It was hard enough to fight two men at once, but having to dodge the arrows all the while doing so was just impossible to do.

From the side of Edmund's eyes, he saw an arrow flew upfronts to the tree, followed by loud thuds. Another arrow flew in towards the other sides, and another one follows. Distracted by his curiosity, Edmund noticed a second too late that one of the men he was fighting charged toward him from his back. But before the sword strike Edmund's body, the man's eyes suddenly were wide and he fell over. Edmund jumped away just in time and focus on the other man he was fighting. As they were fighting, another arrow flew and hit his opponent's back.

Edmund looked around and shared a confused look with both his guards. A cloaked figure suddenly appeared from behind the trees. "This area is not safe, there's a lot of bandits around, you better go on your way before it's getting darker," said the figure in a sweet but authoritative voice.

_"She's a woman?"_ Edmund thought.

As Edmund stepped curiously towards the cloaked figure, a sharp pain appeared on his side and he crouched down in pain. He saw blood from the side of his body, seeping through his white shirt. His adrenaline must have clouded his pain all this time, making him unaware of the wound on his body. His vision started to get blurry and he fell unconscious.

"Your Majesty," shouts the guard, running to his aid. "He's bleeding a lot, we have to get His Majesty to the Kingdom of Archenland right away," said the other guard as he tried to hold the King up.

The cloaked figure ran toward them, "Stop, don't move him. You need to slow his bleeding or else he's not going to make it."

The figure looked around and picked a few leaves from the bush nearby. She crushed the leaves on her hand before applying it to Edmund's wound. "Hold this against his wound," she ordered the guard as she reached inside her cloak to rip the hem of her skirt. She bandaged the fabric skilfully around his body and kept the leaves pressed on his would tightly.

Edmunds groaned as he started to gain his consciousness. He looked up to see the cloaked figure hovering on top of his body. She had a mask covering half of her face, but he could see that she had beautiful brown eyes. She bore a worried expression on her eyes as her hands worked cautiously in tightening the fabric around his abdomen.

"Who are you?" asked Edmund hoarsely as he tried to blink away the blurriness in his eyes.

She looked down into his eyes and hold his gaze for a moment before looking away toward one of his guards, "The herb should help to slow down the bleeding a little. You should be able to bring him to the castle now. Go! Quickly!"

* * *

After recuperating from his wound and convincing King Lune of Archenland that he was well enough, King Edmund the Just was finally on his way back to Cair Paravel. Throughout the way back, he could not stop thinking about the mysterious cloaked lady who saved his life.

As he was half-conscious when they met face to face, all he could remember about her was her big brown eyes, dark royal blue cloak, and a black mask covering her face. He could vaguely remember a crest pin holding her cloak, but he could not picture exactly what it was. Edmund could only wish that he might be able to see her again. The air of mystery about that girl captivated him. He could not help but wonder what a lady would do in the middle of the forest, knowing well that it was a dangerous area.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**Welcome to my first story. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Let me know what you think.**

**The OC will be introduced on the next chapter**

**xxx**


	2. Chapter 2

**"Your absence has gone through me**  
**Like thread through a needle.**  
**Everything I do is stitched with its color."**  
**― W.S. Merwin**

* * *

The King's messenger had long departed, but Cecilia was still paralyzed behind the door with a blank expression on her face. As the reality of what just happened started to sink in, she covered her face in her hands and let out a frustrated growl. Her family had been chosen as one of the noble households representing Archenland to live in Cair Paravel, The Narnian Court. Unfortunately for Cecilia, this kind of invitation from the King was not something that anyone could say no to.

King Lune must have known that Cecilia was no longer just Lady Cecilia, the daughter of Lord James and Lady Leonora. Those days were behind her as Cecilia also bore the responsibility as the head of her family ever since her parents' passing months before. King Lune was a dear friend to her late father, so this invitation must not be a mere honest mistake.

Did the King had to pick her among the many noble households in all the land of Archenland?

What about Marion, Cecilia's little sister? Surely, Mrs. Baton and all of the house staff would take excellent care of Marion while Cecilia would be away. But… Would Marion be able to understand?

"Cecy?" a soft voice called out, pulling Cecilia away from her thoughts.

"Hi Marion," she began. A soft expression suddenly appeared on Cecilia's face as she observed the look on her baby sister's face. "I didn't see you there. How long have you been standing here?"

Marion took a few steps forward and stopped right in front of Cecilia with a frown on her face. She took a shaky breath before she finally found her voice, "Are you going to leave too?" Marion started to cast her gaze downward as she continued, "Just… just like papa and mama did?" The little girl's eyes started to water and she tried her best to blink away her tears.

"Darling, I'm very sorry," Cecilia began. She kneeled to reach her sister's height and slowly took Marion's hands in hers before explaining, "But this is the order from The King and I must do it. As Papa always said, it is an honor to do things for the good of the kingdom. Don't you remember?"

Marion looked up to her sister and slowly nodded.

"Don't you worry, darling. You'll be able to come to visit me. Do you know that Narnia throws the most exciting ball among all kingdoms? I will make sure that you will receive a special invitation, so you'll be able to come and see me, okay?"

Marion whimpered slowly as she wrapped her arms around her sister tightly. While the two sisters hugged, a single drop of tear fell upon Cecilia's face as she savored the moment. Cecilia knew that soon enough she would be away in Narnia, where she should not show any sign of vulnerability.

Just like her Mama taught her.

* * *

Elizabeth could not stop her hands from shaking. She was tired, hungry, anxious, and nervous. Being the daughter of King Lune's General, she received a lot of support from people of Archenland to be the hope in uniting the two kingdoms. Elizabeth was a commoner, therefore she was relatable to the people. She was an exception who was ordered to answer the invitation from the Narnian Kings.

Elizabeth didn't grow up with title nor much money. So all she ever wanted was a quiet and simple life. But as her father's career climbed up, her family got accommodated to live in Archenland Court and now she was sent to live in Narnian Court. Soon enough everyone would start calling her Lady Elizabeth. She felt like a fraud, as she was just a mere commoner in the sea of Kings, Queens, and noble ladies. How could she survive?

Did she want any of this?

No

Did anyone ask what she thinks?

No

If they had asked, would she be able to refuse?

No

Elizabeth could only sigh and closed her eyes for a moment before her carriage finally came to a final stop. She tried to smooth out her blue dress before her carriage door opened.

As she stepped out of her carriage, she took a moment to look at her surroundings. A few carriages lined up behind her, awaiting their turn. Narnian guards lined up to direct and help all the ladies with their belongings.

Elizabeth could not help but stare in awe as she had never seen so many non-human creatures before, Narnian. To be honest, Elizabeth thought that she would feel intimidated by them, but with warm smiles on everyone's face, she felt welcomed.

As Elizabeth walked toward the castle, she looked around to observe some of the other ladies around her. Many beautiful ladies dressed in gorgeous dresses. Everyone looked so elegant and enchanting. And as her eyes wandered, her gaze was met by an angry stare from a lady in a black dress, who stood not too far away from her.

The beguiling, Lady Cecilia Beauchamp of Archenland.

The beautiful brunette stood with an air of confidence as she always did. Her pale complexion stood out from the dark color of her dress and hair. Her hair was swept back on a french braid, with a few escaped curled strands framing her face perfectly.

"You're here? What a surprise" the lady scoffed as she stepped closer and stopped in front of Elizabeth.

"Lady Cecilia. You look well," said Elizabeth as she tried to muster a friendly smile.

"Drop your friendly act. Your shy and innocent pretenses won't get you anywhere with me. Do me a favor and stay away from me," Cecilia sneered and pushed away past Elizabeth.

Elizabeth unconsciously bit her bottom lip, as she always did when she was nervous. She looked up to the sky as she tried not to let her emotions got the best of her. Her hand reached inside her pocket to the one thing that had always managed to calm her down.

A small silver band ring with two initials carved beautifully inside.

Her engagement ring.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**I'm so excited to introduce you to my characters. I have exciting plans for both of them that I can't wait to reveal along with the story.**

**Any guesses for who might be the lady in the forest yet? I would love to hear your first impression of these two girls.**

**xxx**


	3. Chapter 3

**"Yes, we are going to suffer, we will have difficult times, and we will experience many disappointments- but all of this is transitory; it leaves no permanent mark. And one day we will look back with pride and faith at the journey we have taken."**

**-Paulo Coelho**

* * *

The sun had not yet arisen, but the castle had been bustling already. The two Narnian Queens had been busy throwing orders to ensure their first breakfast with all the ladies would go smoothly.

"I think it's time," said Lucy excitedly as she dragged Susan excitedly out from the kitchen and into the meeting room. "The boys should be ready by now. I'm so excited for them."

Susan chuckled at her sister's excitement as the two girls entered the room. Inside, Peter was sitting on one of the sofas, while stifling a yawn. Edmund stood by the window, gazing out into the darkness.

"You both know that breakfast isn't starting 'till at least one more hour, right? Why are we meeting already?" asked Peter as soon as his sisters were on his sight.

"Well, today is an important day." Susan started as she approached her brothers. The four siblings moved to sit together around the sofa. "It's the first time you both will meet your potential wife. Lucy and I need to make sure you're both ready. First impression matters," Susan explained.

"How long are they staying here?" asked Edmund uninterestedly.

"'Edmund!" Lucy gasped.

"What?" Edmund shrugged his shoulder nonchalantly.

"We discussed this before. These girls are to stay with us until both you and Peter find someone suitable. After that, they're welcomed to stay or move back to their kingdom. We've been through this many times." explained Susan patiently. She then pulled out a long parchment paper from her pocket and began explaining the background of each of the ladies that they just welcomed in Narnia the day before. So many names, none of them seemed familiar to Edmund. He just nodded once in a while to make it seemed like he was listening.

"You really believe we will find a wife in this bunch of girls just like that?" Edmund asked skeptically.

"Ed, you know Aslan never made mistake. Have faith in him," said Lucy gently.

"Easy to say Lu. You're not the one about to be thrown into a room full of unfamiliar strangers probably full of pretenses," Edmund scoffed.

"Have an open mind, Ed. They might not be that bad," Peter shrugged.

Edmund looked at Peter in disbelief. "You're on board with this too?"

"Well I know this is not ideal," Peter started. He fully understood why his younger brother was against the idea. He felt anxious about this too, though he tried not to let it show. Peter knew that the younger boy needed the encouragement. "But Aslan never let us down. We all knew that. If he thinks this is the best way for us to meet a suitable match, then maybe we should try it. There's nothing to lose. It's not like you have someone else in mind already, don't you?" Peter questioned.

Edmund hesitated to answer the question. His mind immediately went to the pair of worried brown eyes he met back in the forest. He knew it was silly to have a crush on someone he knew nothing about. Still, he couldn't help his mind to wander back to her every single time. He could not stop thinking about her.

The three siblings looked at Edmund expectantly, waiting for his reply. But before anyone else could say anything, there was a knock on the door.

Susan stood up and walked out the door.

"Ed?" Lucy called out softly. She put her hand on his arm comfortingly. "Is there anyone that we don't know about?"

"No," Edmund rolled his eyes and quickly dropped the subject.

Before Lucy could have said anything else, Susan stepped back in and grinned, "Everyone's already waiting in the dining room. It's time."

With that, Edmund quickly stood up and walked toward Susan ahead of everyone else. "Let's get over with this," he said with a huge sigh.

* * *

Edmund just stood next to Peter as Peter did his welcoming speech for the 12 ladies gathered around on the table in front of them. As a High King, Peter learned to hide his nervousness well and always put out a strong and charming exterior. However, as an observant brother, Edmund could tell when Peter was nervous. The way his smile seemed to never reach his eyes or the way he shifted to lean on one foot then another. Edmund knew his brother well.

Susan and Lucy, on the other hand, could not hide their excitement with huge smiles on their faces. They had been excited to have so many ladies around their age that they could talk to.

One by one, each of the ladies bowed before them and introduced themselves. Again, Edmund did not pay much attention. This whole thing had him bored over his mind. Sure, the ladies were all kinds of beautiful, that much he could tell. But he could not get over the fact that back in England, all the rich and privileged kids he knew were all the same kind of people: Spoiled and rotten on the inside, no matter how pretty they look on the outside. And even though Edmund knew it was not a fair judgment, he could not help his mind from making all kinds of excuses to prevent himself from opening up to these ladies whom existent threatening to take his freedom away. He wondered how many drinks it would take to keep his sanity, getting through the week.

After breakfast, Edmund had no excuse rather than to start mingling with everyone else. He saw all his siblings were quick to disperse and started to get to know as many people as they could potentially reach. Edmund, on the other hand, was hesitant to move until three ladies started to approach him.

"Greetings Your Majesty, I am Lady Eva of Calormen. These are Lady Agnes and Lady Ingrid of Calormen," said the blonde one as she bowed into a courtesy in front of him. She looked up to him, her eyes were a piercing blue and she bore a mischievous half-smile on her face. Lady Eva stood proud with dominance, clearly showing her territory as the leader of the group. The two ladies, each on her side, was quick to follow and bow before him. Lady Agnes, the beautiful lady with olive skin, brown eyes, and silky black hair and Lady Ingrid with her green-hazel eyes, perfectly curled hair and smooth brown skin.

The conversation started pleasantly as Lady Eva was highly knowledgeable about trade and had traveled to many different places. But before Edmund realized, talk of trade turned into talk of textile, then into talk of fashion. At one point, Lady Eva stepped closer to him and daringly circled her hand around his arm, which made him very uncomfortable. Edmund quickly lose interest as the three ladies started to point out the "out of trend fashion" that some of the ladies were wearing across the room and exaggeratingly express their disgust.

Edmund's eyes quickly scanned the room for possible help from his siblings, but they all seemed too engaged in their conversation to notice his distress. He accidentally noticed one lady stood alone a shy too far from everyone else. Not thinking much, Edmund quickly excused himself from the three ladies and decided to approach the lonely girl. At this point, anyone else could probably be a better company than these shallow ladies.

With long strides, Edmund quickly stopped a few feet away from her side. She did not notice him approaching and jumped slightly when he cleared his throat.

"Your Majesty," she quickly curtsied, a faint blush appeared on her cheeks.

"Good day to you, Lady…" he started, hoping she would help him fill in the blank.

"Elizabeth of Archenland, Your Majesty. Good day to you too," she quickly replied with a shy smile.

"I hope you enjoyed Narnia so far. Is everyone treating you well, My Lady?" he asked politely.

"More than I deserve, Your Majesty," she said humbly. "I'm glad you're doing better already."

"Pardon?"

"I heard about what happened in the forest. You were attacked by bandits, weren't you?" she explained further. She bit her lip nervously as she waited for his answer. She realized she probably should not have mentioned anything about it.

"How did you know?" he questioned curiously. He took his time to really looked at her this time and just realized she appeared to have a pair of brown eyes. Ones so similar to the pair that's been haunting his mind.

"I.." she started nervously. The way his gaze seemed to watch her every move made her feel small and intimidated. Elizabeth was never one comfortable being the center of attention. "I.. heard my father talked about it. Everyone was glad that you were able to safely made it back to Narnia, Your Majesty" she mumbled nervously.

Edmund was about to ask further but he felt a light tap on his arm.

"Sorry to interrupt, but it's time. We have a meeting to attend to," said Lucy with a friendly smile.

Elizabeth quickly bowed toward Lucy with a relieved smile on her face.

"It was a pleasure to talk to you, Your Majesty," she said to Edmund, eyes not meeting his gaze.

Edmund's response was not much more than a quick nod as Lucy took his arm and excitedly dragged him away. Edmund could not say he was convinced with Elizabeth's reply and he was curious to find out more about her.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**Please do let me know your thought in the comment below. I hope you enjoyed the story!**

**Special thanks to SweetSunnyRose for the feedback. Any constructive criticism is always welcomed.**

**xxx**


	4. Chapter 4

**"There is rebirth,**

**rebuilding,**

**reinventing,**

**and soul stitching**

**with gold**

**that needs to happen."**

**\- Najwa Zebian**

* * *

Cecilia thought her day had started well. It was the second day she arrived at Narnia and her first time meeting the Kings and Queens of Narnia. They only got a very short time to get to know the rulers of Narnia after breakfast, but Cecilia was left with a smile on her face after her conversations with High King Peter.

…

_High King Peter radiated with confidence, yet his eyes warm with kindness that it seemed impossible to not be intrigued by him. Thus, Cecilia somehow found herself in line behind Lady Annalise of Anvard to get a moment to talk with His Majesty. When her turn finally came, she curtsied gracefully in front of him._

"_Good Morning Lady Cecilia, it's a pleasure to finally meet you. I heard so much about you,"_

"_The pleasure's all mine, Your Majesty," replied Cecilia. "All good things, I hope," she added with a curious glance. Cecilia had always been a curious and outspoken one. If her mother were here, she would not approve of how forward Cecilia was being with a King._

"_Oh of course. My sister, Susan, could not stop gushing about you this morning. I'm surprised she hasn't come and talk to you," he replied in a friendly manner. _

_Cecilia furrowed her brows in confusion. She has never met Queen Susan before, whatever could he be talking about. "I'm afraid she might have confused me with someone else, Your Majesty. I had not had the pleasure to meet with her before today."_

"_I don't know how but apparently Susan said you're quite a talented archer, that was you, right?"_

"_Oh.." she smiled a little at the realization. "I guess I could say I'm quite comfortable with a bow and arrow. I don't think I'm anywhere as good as Her Majesty, though," she replied humbly. Yes, she's a skilled archer, but she never thought she was that good. She looked away sadly before continuing, "My parents never thought archery was an important skill for a lady to have. I'm afraid I started to see what they meant by that." _

_Peter seemed ready to disagree, but he asked in concern, "And why do you think that?"_

"_My parents were quite… traditional," Cecilia started hesitantly but her voice grew steadier as she talked further. "In their mind, a lady should be graceful, proper, and poised. Being a skilled archer is not something they would consider ladylike," she smiled sadly at the memory. " I was against it at first, but now I started to realize that being skilled in archery would not help anyone run a household, nor help with any trade bargain. I guess I started to see where they were coming from." _

"_I beg to differ, Lady Cecilia," Peter argued. "I think archery requires a great deal of grace and poise. Being a skilled archer also means you're well equipped to defend yourself and others around you. You might be surprised that one day you'd save a life,"_

_She looked at him in surprise. She was drowned in managing her family's household and businesses that she did not realize that point of view. He was right. Her smile grew at the realization and an air of confidence emerged in._

"_Anyway, Susan was very excited to have someone to train with. That is if you wanted to," he offered with a warm smile, although he probably already knew what her answer would be._

"_I would love that," _

_..._

By the night time, it seemed like luck had already left her side. The front of her favorite dress was wet from the colored liquid that was once inside his cup. The letter she just collected from the messenger, clenched on her left hand, was drenched and ruined. To top it off, she ended up in an argument with the other Narnian King in the middle of an empty hallway.

"With all due respect Your Majesty," Cecilia started as she took a big breath to control her anger. After all, a respected lady should always keep her composure and stay graceful. "If you were simply paid more attention to where you are going, we wouldn't have been in this mess in the first place."

"Can everyone stop calling me Your Majesty? This is getting annoying real fast," he sneered. "Edmund… Please just call me Edmund," he said with a frustrated sigh. "May I remind you that you bumped into me, as much as I bumped into you, whoever you are," said Edmund as he raised his eyebrow in a challenging manner. He would have called her by her name, but his mind was too jumbled up to even think about it. In his defense, there were simply too many noble ladies to even remember.

Cecilia was dumbfounded hearing his respond. It was clearly not her fault. He was the one running and bumped into her as soon as she turned at the corner of the hallway. But she noticed the way he was swaying back and forth and the way his eyes were unable to focus.

He was drunk.

At this point, she wondered what she could do to get kicked out of this ridiculous obligation. Some sort of silly competition to win the love of Kings of Narnia, one of them being a drunk and irresponsible lad. Seriously? There was a far more important matter that she could attend to if she had the choice of not being here. "I have a strong feeling that you are not in your right mind, Edmund," she simply noted, annoyed.

"And I have a strong feeling that you are just another annoying, obnoxious, spoiled lady used to get everything you ever needed that you can't even handle someone accidentally poured his drink on your fancy little dress," he said in a mocking tone. "Too bad you're in Narnia now and your noble rich parents and servants can't take care of this for you."

Her body stiffens at his remark. Before she could even register the movement, her right hand connected with his cheek in a loud slap.

"My parents are dead," she said as she turned her heels and took off. She kept a stoic expression on her face while trying to get as far away as possible from the dark-haired King.

The young king was left in the middle of an empty hallway with only an echo of her heels. He cupped his rapidly reddening cheek, a look of complete shock in his face. He suddenly felt very sober and very much alert of what was going on around him. The pain on his cheek was nothing compared to the pang of guilt on his chest.

Edmund knew he went too far this time.

…


	5. Chapter 5

**"Healing takes time,**

**and so does not healing.**

**Choose how you spend your time**

**wisely."**

**-Lalah Delia**

* * *

Edmund paced back and forth in his room. His step somehow faltered to a stop in front of his mirror. And for the first time for the day, he took a good look at his reflection in the shiny surface. A tired-looking man with a slightly reddened cheek stared back at him. His eyes were tired and his clothes disheveled. He did not resemble what a king would look like. This made him wonder. Here, he was named King Edmund the Just, but his judgment moments ago was surely the furthest thing away from just. He did not even know that girl, yet he thought the worst of her.

He ran his hand through his hair and gave it a stressful tug. "_I'll apologize,_" he promised to himself. But first, he needed to figure out who she was. At least her name, if he were to apologize properly. So with that resolution, he sneaked out of his bedroom to Susan's workroom at the other end of the hallway.

Susan's workroom was tidy. His older sister's a perfectionist, she always kept everything of hers organized and clean. Her desk stood below the big window, with the moonlight shone brightly, casting a spotlight upon it.

Carefully, he went through her stuff, looking for a parchment paper that he knew she kept somewhere on her desk. And he was not wrong. The long paper was hidden inside one of the drawers and he skimmed through all the information. Thankfully Susan wrote notes from their first meeting, adding description and her impression about each of the girls. This made Edmund feel guilty. This felt as if he was reading Susan's diary, her thoughts, and the opinions of other people. Quickly, he skimmed over unnecessary names that he knew of, trying not to read too much of what Susan wrote as possible. After long consideration, he ended up with a possible identity for that girl. If his deduction was right, she was Lady Cecilia Beauchamp of Archenland.

And he was determined to make it right with her.

* * *

Elizabeth walked out from one of the narrow hallways just outside the stable, walking absentmindedly in this new palace she now called her home. She thought she was used to living in a palace, but court life in Narnia's much different than ones back in Archenland. In a way, she was glad that she could start fresh on her own. Away from her family and everything that reminded her of what her life could have been. It's as if she almost believed that things would be okay again. That she would be okay again, even without …

As quick as that feeling came, a sense of guilt crept inside her heart.

Her fingers immediately reached over across her chest, to where she knew a ring would hang loosely on her neck. Though her skin and the cool metal was separated by the fabric of her gown, the feel of it made her relieved somehow. Without knowing, the ring has been her go-to source of comfort these days. One that helped her breathe a little easier, that made her steps a little lighter, and that made her tears stopped drowning her brown eyes.

She wasn't thinking much where she was going and when she turned around in the corner, she bumped into what she thought was a hard surface. Elizabeth stumbled backward, and the only thing that kept her from falling was a strong and steady hand gripping her waist. She looked up and a handsome face with a pair of dark brown eyes stared back at her with worry.

Realizing who it was, she quickly balanced herself and took a step back, away from his embrace. "My apology, Your Majesty. I wasn't looking where I was going," Elizabeth quietly said as she bowed in courtesy in front of him.

"I'm quite sure it's my fault. This keeps happening to me," he said with a chuckle that seemed to be directed more to himself. "Are you alright?"

She gave him a tense smile and replied, "Yes, I am alright."

"Did you just come back from the stable?" he asked curiously.

"Yes, Your Majesty. I hope that's okay," she nervously tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear. "I'm exploring the palace, trying to get familiar with my surroundings."

"Oh, that's fine. Feel free to use the stable and get a horse too, if you ride," he replied enthusiastically. "We should have been a better host and show you around. My apology. I'll tell Susan so she could add it to her itinerary for you all."

"You've been an excellent host, Your Majesty. Do not worry yourself with such a trivial matter. I'm sure everyone would get used to the palace in no time," she replied gratefully.

"It's not a problem," he smiled in appreciation. "Did you happen to see Lady Cecilia when you were in the stable? I tried the shooting practice field before and she's not there. I don't have much time today but I'm hoping to catch a moment with her. She's also from Archenland, I thought you might know her."

"She's not in the stable. I haven't seen her since breakfast," Elizabeth tilted her head, thinking. "Maybe you should try the library."

"Okay, I will. Thank you Lady Elizabeth, I'll see you around," Edmund said, flashing a charming smile before turning around to the hallway he came from.

The sound of his footsteps echoing to a distant sound. But not before long, his footsteps could be heard coming back and his head peeked from the corner, "I forgot to ask, do you need help finding your way back?"

Elizabeth smiled a genuine smile at his thoughtfulness. King Edmund's definitely a nice guy. "Thank you, but I think I'm good," she said sincerely. No longer feeling nervous around him.

"Okay, cool," he replied with a nod and disappeared with a purposeful stride.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**Thank you for reading and reviewing so far. I hope you all are doing well and staying healthy.**

**As always, I'd love to hear what you think!**

**xxx**


	6. Chapter 6

"**Aren't we all just**

**a compilation of all of our**

**good and bad decisions?"**

**-Lala Bohang.**

* * *

The library was quiet and peaceful. That was why it had always been one of Cecilia's most favorite places. She finally finished the last letter that she wanted to send home and stacked it neatly on top of her letter pile at the corner of the table. She took a deep breath and looked around, finally relaxing. "_Maybe start on a book?"_ she thought to herself. With a smile, she walked toward the shelves and explored her options.

After thoughtful consideration, Cecilia decided upon a book. She reached her body up, standing on her toes, and concentrating to reach out for one of the books on the top shelf. She did not realize someone had entered the library and watched her from the side. After seeing her struggle, that person decided to help. A hand suddenly came up from behind Cecilia and as soon as she realized a presence behind her back, she turned around in an instant. Accidentally, her elbow made sharp contact with that person's ribs. Groaning in pain, that person's right hand shot back down, banging on Cecilia's forehead by accident.

"Ouch," both of them winced in pain, stumbling apart from each other.

Cecilia looked up to her attacker and realized it was the same prince that had ruined her dress, her letter, and her mood the night before. "Why would you do that?" Cecilia gave him an appointed look, her hand massaging the side of her forehead.

"I'm sorry, I was trying to help," he said defensively. "You have a strong elbow for a lady."

"And you have weak ribs for a man," Cecilia whispered harshly.

"What was that?" Edmund narrowed his eyes at her.

"Nothing, Your Majesty. Everything's always wonderful when you're around," she replied sarcastically and bowed into a curtsy to him. "If you'll kindly excuse me." She quickly walked away, not wanting to wait for his response.

"Wait!" His hand quickly grasped her wrist to stop her from walking further.

She stopped and turned around, her steady eyes gazing right back at him.

"About last night, I.."

"Don't say it." she quickly interrupted. "I have enough people saying they're sorry for my loss, I don't want to hear it." She carefully wiggled her hand out of his grasp and looked away.

He almost didn't notice the way her eyes welled up as she turned her face sideways.

Almost.

"Okay, I won't say it." His gaze softened toward her. Her hand quickly swiped below her eyes, erasing any trace of weakness away from her face. And with that she turned her head back toward him, gazing back at his eyes with an unreadable expression.

"But I want to say I'm sorry for blaming you when it was clearly my fault," he said sincerely. "And for making judgemental assumptions. That was unfair of me."

Cecilia was stunned for a second, not expecting that kind of reply from him. He was not as bad as she originally thought. Maybe she was also quick to judge and made unfair assumptions about him too. "Yes it was," she slowly started. "and how come they call you The Just King." Her expression softened and a teasing smile graced her face beautifully.

"Urgh, why is it so hard to be nice to you?" Edmund sighed and rolled his eyes playfully at her. As soon as their eyes connected again, the two of them broke into a laugh.

"So, can we start over?" he offered his hand to shake. "I'm Edmund, nice to finally meet you."

"Is this how you start over in Narnia?" Her eyebrow narrowed, confused. Despite her question, she trustingly reached out her hand to shake his.

He chose not to answer and somehow he chose not to let go of her hand too. Not just yet. "This is going much better than our first meeting. We should drink to celebrate," he suggested, raising his eyebrow suggestively.

"I quite like this dress I'm wearing. I'm not risking it." She shook her head and laughed. Looking at her, he couldn't help but laugh with her. She surprisingly got his sense of humor.

"How long are we supposed to do this?" she asked, eyeing their joined hands.

"Usually…. A second or two," he said matter of factly, trying to feign innocence but his eyes were full of mischief.

"Then why are we still doing it?" she groaned at him.

"I don't know, you're not letting go of my hand," he jokingly rolled his eyes at her.

For some reason, it was easy for him to tease her. Maybe because she did see him at his weak moment or maybe because he did also see a little peek of her weak moment. Despite everything, it was easy for him to treat her as a friend. It was as if their encounter last night never happened. It was as if they had known each other for a long time.

"Urghh… Why is it so hard to be nice to you?" she mimicked him and playfully shoved him away then leaving him behind.

It didn't go unnoticed by him. "Hey, that was my line!"

…

A cloaked figure skimmed across the empty hallway in hurried steps. Heels clicking sound echoing on the stone floors were the only sound that could be heard on the still of the night. The figure finally reached the end of the hallway and turned to a narrow path that leads to a large wooden door.

Their gloved hand raised to knock on the door. Once.. twice...

As soon as the figure lowered their hand, the door creaked open. A short woman with a plump figure peeked through the door nervously. It was dark so it took a second for her to be able to see the face of the cloaked figure. Once she recognized the face, a relieved sigh escaped her lips.

"Quick, before anyone sees you," the short woman ushered the cloaked figure inside the poorly lit room and hastily closed the door in a blink of an eye.

The cloaked figure went further inside and noticed a fully filled basket with a linen cloth covering. "Is that everything?", the figure asked, carefully peeked inside the basket.

"It's not much, but that's all I could gather without raising anyone's suspicion," said the woman nervously. She hesitantly stepped closer to the cloaked figure. "I'll try to gather more next time."

"You did well. This is good enough for now," the cloaked figure commented, seemingly delighted with the content of the basket. Seeing that reaction, the women released a relieved sigh.

"Be very careful, we can't have anyone find out about this," the cloaked figure reminded, staring directly into the woman's eyes. "Also, what about the stable boy?"

"He was hesitant at first, but I was able to persuade him to our cause," she replied proudly. "Everything's in order. We should go back this way."

With that, the cloaked figure picked up the basket and followed the women out of the room through a smaller door in the back corner, leaving the room empty and quiet as it was supposed to be.


End file.
